Here the book is quite rightly focused primarily on the Women in Black anti-war movement , on whose tireless activism the whole peace movement of the first generation is grounded . The tenacious , on-going commitment of these feminist peace activists starting from the early 1990s is carefully documented and analysed : the relentlessness of pursuing unwanted memories , formatting calendars alternative to the state , publishing annual agendas accordingly , commemorative rituals , and so on .
The second generation is continuing the memory-building process as the memory of activism , adding new activities and organising joint activities with the Women in Black movement and others . In addition , Fridman perceptively comments and elaborates on millennials , who have harnessed the advantage of having the tools of the digital world at their disposal , creating thus the # hashtag # memoryactivism framework for online commemorations . When speaking of the upcoming generation ( s ), we can recognise the political significance , as well as the ease with which these generations enter the digital world to make use of the available tools , which , according to Fridman , are utilised as additional mnemonic practices .
Like a thread that runs throughout Orli Fridman ’ s book is the important recognition of the significance of the political , following on from the acknowledgement of memory activism . Orli Fridman , while telling us the story of Memory Activism in Serbia , connecting the dots of the events , has created a mosaic of what the sad reality of our present actually is – as well as the gloomy outlook for our future . Unfolding the results of the meticulous , carefully articulated research described throughout the book , it becomes difficult , for anyone focused on understanding Serbia ’ s recent past , and especially for anyone who has taken part in those events – even if marginally – to face this reality ; it can almost be painful , not only to accept the succinct and undoubtedly credible presentation of our “ history of the present ”, but also to realise that the future can , at best , just rest on questions : « What place will commemorative solidarity have ?... what role will memory activism scholars play ?» 2 and , what is the future of this political community that lives in perpetual denial ?
How do we measure time , from one date to the next , from one holiday to the other , which calendar do we follow in our everyday lives and which dates do we single out , and why ? Orli Fridman has walked us through the calendars of Yugoslavia ( s ) and how the calendar that the Serbian state officially acknowledges today has been constructed so as to deny its responsibility for the wars of the 1990s . What becomes
2
Orli Fridman , p . 202
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Observing Memories Issue 6